Obituary of Leopold LeBlanc
On August 14th, 2016, Paul LeBlanc received the gift he had been promised through his faith as he was called to his home in Heaven. Paul was in his 91st year. He leaves behind his beloved wife Maria Vanderheyden-LeBlanc and is pre-deceased by his first wife Blanch (Noel). Paul has three children, Ron (Charlene) (Windsor), Robert (San Diego), and step-son John (Jean) (Kalamazoo). Paul will be dearly missed by Maria’s children, Herm Vanderheyden (Connie), Ken Vanderheyden (Ewa), Mary Lou Gordon (John), Terry Vanderheyden (Laurie) and Marcia Lefebvre (Benny). Paul was ‘Grandpa’ or ‘Opa’ to his 23 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

Paul will always be remembered for his kind, warm heart, brilliant mind, loyalty and sense of humour. We are grateful and blessed to have had him in our lives. He loved and cherished his wife Maria with all his soul. They met on the dance floor and danced until the end. Opa Paul dealt with, battled and conquered hardships for many years. Opa enlightened us in so many ways as he courageously faced life’s challenges with dignity. He was a kind, generous man. He loved squirrels and birds as is seen in his many wood carvings. His commitment to live life to the fullest was awe inspiring and a testament to his character.

Paul had a most fulfilling life, from travelling the world as a young lad to serving in World War II and Korea, as well as many other countries. His many military decorations include those for service in WWII Italy, France, Germany, the Korean War, awards conferred by the United Nations for service in Egypt and NATO. As a civilian he worked in high steel structure construction including our well know landmark, the CN tower.

Visitation will be held at DENNING’S OF STRATHROY on Thursday, August 18, 2016 at 2:00-4:00 p.m. (with a 5 minute Royal Canadian Legion Last Post ceremony at 2 p.m.) and 7:00-9:00 p.m. This will be preceded with a Korean Veterans Memorial Service at 6:30 p.m. Prayers will take place at 8:00 p.m. Visitation will continue on Friday, August 19th, 2016 at All Saints Roman Catholic Church, from 10 a.m. until the time of Mass of Christian Burial at 11 a.m. Private family interment to follow.